As conventional techniques for the structuring of video images (in concrete terms, sorting of frames, layering by individual shots) in order for the various purposes such as the improvement of coding efficiency, diversification of access methods to video images, facilitation of video image browsing, and simplification of file format exchange, those inventions in the following Patent Documents 1 to 5 have been available.
In a conventional technique described in Patent Document 1, a file framing unit generates editing information that indicates the sorting order of video image data as individual frames. Moreover, an image compressing unit compresses and encodes unedited video image data based on the differences from the former frame and transmits the encoded data with the editing information from an output unit.
In a conventional technique described in Patent Document 2, predictive-coded image data stored in an image data string memory is read out, and the data is separated into layers by a layer separation unit based on the architecture of the layered data. The physical features of image data, i.e., such features possessing generality and reflecting a content, are extracted from separated layers by an image feature extracting unit. Feature vectors that characterize individual images are generated by a feature vector generating unit based on these physical features. After calculating the distances between feature vectors, the feature vectors are automatically structured into a deep-layered architecture through separation/integration process by a separation/integration unit and then stored and managed by a feature vector managing unit.
A conventional technique described in Patent Document 3 is an automatic layering method for video image data in which a scene extracting process is performed in which video images are coded, the coded video images are then separated into individual shots, and the separated shots are integrated to extract scenes by using the similarities of each shot. This technique is also according to a browsing method of video images, which is characterized by facilitated seizing of an entire content of video image and facilitated detection of a desired scene or a shot by using layered data.
In a conventional technique described in Patent Document 4, while multiple-channel image data taken by multiple cameras are switched in proper sequence by a switching unit and are sorted per GOP unit at every channel by a sorting unit and are recorded on a storage unit after being compressed by an MPEG compression unit, the plurality of-channel image data are reduced in file size after being expanded at every channel by an MPEG expansion unit and are stored in a designated position of multiple display memories in the sequence of input at every channel so as to be displayed on multiple screens and are then reproduced and displayed as multiple screen images on a single screen of a monitor.
In a conventional technique described in Patent Document 5, a reproduced video image signal A2 and side information A3, which are obtained by decoding a bit stream A1 in MPEG-2 format as a primary video image coding data format by an MPEG-2 decoder, are transformed into a suitable form for MPEG-4 format as a secondary video image coding data format by a size transformation unit. A bit stream A6 in MPEG-4 format is obtained by coding a transformed reproduced image signal A4 at an MPEG-4 encoder by using motion vector information included in transformed side information A5, and a structuring data A7 is obtained through an indexing process at an indexing unit by using motion vectors included in the side information A5.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. H8-186789
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. H9-294277
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. H10-257436
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2001-054106
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-185969